2026-09-07 12:18:46
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Chapter 11
Before he knew it, Elias had spent the better part of the week acclimating to the monotonous and suffocating life of Adrian Kaelen. The coursework was trivial. His dorm room was nothing more than a tolerable prison cell. The System remained irritatingly silent as long as he didn't cross the line. But the university itself was beginning to become a nuisance, particularly the people who, for whatever reason, felt entitled to his time. Leo was the chief offender among them. They sat across from one another in the campus cafeteria, enveloped by the midday cacophony of overlapping conversations, scraping chairs, and the mechanical hum of vending machines. Elias held a paper cup of black coffee, his expression perfectly flat, while Leo absentmindedly picked at the remains of his lunch. "So," Leo said around a mouthful of fries, "what are your plans for this weekend?" "Something." Leo looked up, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds highly suspicious, like an answer specifically designed to
Chapter 10
The next morning, Elias arrived before the lecture hall was even half full.He didn't hesitate. He chose the exact same seat he had claimed the day before—front row, slightly to the left of the lecturer's podium. It was a stark contrast to Adrian Kaelen’s usual sanctuary at the back of the room, a place where he could seamlessly disappear among students far more interested in their phone screens than in forensic pathology.Leo, arriving a few minutes later, noticed immediately."You’re doing it again."Elias briefly looked up from the open notebook in front of him. "Doing what?""Sitting here." Leo dropped heavily into the adjacent chair and cast a bewildered glance toward the empty, tiered rows behind them. "You know, normal Adrian sits back there.""Maybe normal Adrian got tired of sitting back there."Leo stared at him for a long, searching moment. "You've really changed, you know."Elias closed the notebook with a soft thud. "Is that a problem?""No." Leo leaned back, crossing his
Chapter 9
Elias arrived at the lecture hall early. Instead of heading for the back rows, he walked straight down the aisle and took a seat right in the very front.Leo froze halfway up the steps. His eyes widened, staring at his friend as if Elias had just announced his intention to jump off the roof of a building."Are you sick?" Elias glanced over his shoulder. "No." "Then what are you doing?" "Sitting." "Up front?" "Yes."Leo hurried over to him, dropping his voice into a panicked whisper. "We always sit in the back. Especially in Professor Sterling's class. You know that."Elias simply shifted his gaze to the empty lecturer's podium. Valerie Sterling. The name on last night's assignment sheet. The name that had instantly triggered a shift in Marcus's expression within his memories."I just want to try something different," Elias said flatly.With a long sigh of surrender, Leo dropped into the seat beside him. "You know, Adrian... lately you've really been scaring me."A few minutes later, t
Chapter 8
Marcus's fingers tightened around Valerie's waist as the rumpled sheets shifted beneath them.The bedroom was dim, illuminated only by the warm glow spilling from the bedside lamp in the corner. Valerie's breathing was heavy and ragged, yet her instincts quickly caught that something was wrong. Marcus was usually highly controlled, even in the most intimate of moments. Tonight, however, there was an odd impatience in his every move. A roughness that made it painfully clear his mind was elsewhere.Valerie turned her head, studying the man's face. "What's wrong with you tonight?"Marcus didn't answer."Did the conference go poorly?""My conference was perfect," Marcus replied. His voice was flat, almost mechanical.Valerie watched his face for a few moments. "Then what is bothering you?"Marcus finally looked at her. His dark eyes emanated a tension he rarely displayed. "One name."Valerie frowned. "Whose?"Marcus remained silent. Valerie studied his expression, rewinding recent convers
Chapter 7
The internet café was nearly empty when Elias finally found what he was looking for.He had spent hours jumping from one article to another, tracking down names, dates, and fragments of information scattered across old news reports. The initial reports described Elias Thorne’s death as a sudden and tragic incident. A brilliant forensic pathologist, only days away from reviewing another major case, had collapsed and died inside the St. Jude autopsy suite.Cause of death: acute cardiac failure.Elias stared at the glowing monitor. He read the sentence three times before forcing himself to continue reading.The official reports stated that no signs of foul play were found. The toxicology screening apparently revealed nothing suspicious. The autopsy had been conducted by a team from St. Jude, with Marcus Vance acting as the senior consultant who reviewed the findings.Elias’s eyes narrowed sharply.There it was. Marcus was involved in the investigation. Not as a suspect, but as one of the
Chapter 6
Cold water struck Elias's face.He jerked awake, gasping greedily for air. For a few seconds, he had absolutely no idea where he was. His throat still burned, his chest felt tight, and a sickening exhaustion pinned his body down. A weak fluorescent light flickered above him, casting harsh shadows across a stained ceiling.Then, someone nudged his leg with the toe of a heavy boot. "Get up."Elias blinked. He realized he was lying on a narrow bench inside what appeared to be a security room. A battered desk occupied one corner, surrounded by monitors displaying various sections of the institute. A metal cabinet stood against the wall, and the air in the room smelled like a stale mix of coffee, sweat, and disinfectant.A security guard towered over him, holding an empty plastic bottle that dripped the last of its water. "You awake?"Elias slowly pushed himself up to sit. His first thought upon opening his eyes wasn't about this room. It wasn't about Adrian Kaelen. It wasn't even about th
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